November 29, 2012

Arc Welding Capabilities at EWI

Nick Kapustka

Overview
Arc welding team
Capabilities list
Arc welding basic overview
Arc welding processes
Core processes
Process variations / other processes
Capability demonstrations



Arc Welding Team
Harvey Castner
Program Manager
Shipbuilding, Heavy Manf., Aerospace
Former VP of Government Programs
Former Director of NJC
35+ Technical Papers
State of Ohio PE
IIW International Welding Engineer
American Welding Society Fellow
Randy Dull
Principal Engineer
Auto & Heavy Manf. Teams
AWS Committee Member (4)
AWS Senior CWI
AWS Certified Welding Engineer
ASNT ACCP Level II (VT)
State of Ohio PE
IIW International Welding Engineer
GTAW, PAW, GMAW, FCAW, SAW
SS, CS, Ni, Cu, Ti, Al, etc.
Distortion Control
Codes & Standards
Arc Welding Team
Dr. Ian Harris
Technology Leader
Director of AMC
Aerospace, Processes
IIW Commission Expert / Chair (3)
AWS Handbook Vol. 9 Chair
AWS D17.1 Committee
ASTM F42 Group Member
ASM Metals Handbook Vol. 6 Contributor
Non-Ferrous
GTAW, PAW, GMAW, HLAW
Nick Kapustka
Applications Engineer
Aerospace Team
GMAW, GTAW, PAW, CMT
Thermal Cutting
Non-Ferrous Alloys, AHSS
AWS CWI
Codes & Standards

Steve Massey
Engineering Manager
Automation Expert
AWS D16 Rob. & Auto. Committee
GMAW, FCAW, GTAW, PAW, SAW, T-
GMAW
CS, SS, Al, Ni, Cu
AWS CWI

Arc Welding Team
Marc Purslow
Applications Engineer
Arc Welding Invention Coach
Processes, Shipbuilding, Heavy Manf.
GMAW, SAW, FCAW, T-GMAW,
CS, SS, Al
AWS CWI

Adam Uziel
Applications Engineer
Aerospace Team
GTAW, PAW, GMAW
Orbital Welding
SS, Ni, Ti, Al, Coated Steels

Capabilities
Project work
CSP, GTH, GN5, CSL, GSP, GTO, IRD, etc.
Processes
GTAW, GMAW, FCAW, PAW, SMAW, SAW, CMT, CSC, T-GMAW, T-
SAW, OFC, A-CAC, PAC, etc..
Expert witness, onsite assistance, codes & standards interpretation,
automation expertise, fume generation, etc.
Membership
Inquiries, membership sales, design reviews
Sales
Internal sales teams, sales calls, project development
Technical leadership
AWS, IIW, ASME, AMS, ASME committees
Peer reviewed publications, conference presentations
Arc Welding Basic Theory

1-8
Arc Welding Overview
All arc welding uses an electric arc to produce a weld by
melting the base material and filler metal, if applicable
Three main differences between arc welding processes:
How the welding arc is initiated and controlled
Consumable electrodes
Melt and transfer to the weld for filling joint
The electrode is the filler metal
Non-consumable electrodes
Provide electrode for arc and generally do not melt
Tungsten or Carbon
Filler material, when used, is provided separately
How the molten metal weld pool is shielded
Whether filler metal is used and how it is supplied to the molten
weld pool
Basic Arc Welding Circuit
Welding Arc

Primary Operating Parameters
Arc voltage / arc length
Arc current
Electrode feed rate (consumable)
Welding travel speed
Electrical polarity

Need for Atmospheric Shielding
Molten metal reacts with the atmosphere to form
oxides and nitrides
Porosity will result if the weld pool is exposed to the atmosphere
Metallurgical changes can occur
Weld mechanical properties are generally reduced
The weld area should be free of dirt, grease, paint,
scale, and other foreign objects to ensure weld
quality
Fluxes and shielding gasses are not designed to scavenge these
components from the solidifying weld metal

Flux Shielding
Decomposes and provides a gas to shield the arc
and prevent atmospheric contamination of the
molten filler metal and weld pool
Provides scavengers, deoxidizers, and fluxing
agents to cleanse the weld and prevent excessive
grain growth in the weld metal
Establishes the electrical characteristics of the
electrode
Provides a slag blanket to protect the hot weld bead
from the air and can enhance the mechanical
properties, weld bead shape and surface cleanliness
Provides a means of adding alloying elements to
change the mechanical properties of the weld metal
Gas Shielding
Purges the weld area to shield the molten metal from
the atmosphere
Argon is the most common inert gas
CO
2
is sometimes used
Less expensive
Similar to gases produced from fluxes
CO
2
and O
2
are commonly mixed with argon
Promotes oxidation to stabilize the arc and metal transfer
Improves weld bead wetting
H
2
can be added to increase arc heat in some cases
Helium may also be used to increase arc heat
Requires addition of deoxidizers to filler materials
Sources of Shielding
Arc Welding Processes
Arc Welding Processes
Core Processes
SMAW, MMAW
Stick welding
GTAW
TIG welding
GMAW
MIG welding
FCAW
SAW
PAW

Process Variations
T-GMAW
NG-T GMAW
Strip cladding
RWF-GMAW
PAC-G
CAG
Hybrid welding
Hybrid laser arc welding
Hybrid GMAW / PAW
welding

Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW)
An arc welding process in which coalescence of
metals is produced by heat from an electric arc that
is maintained between the tip of a covered electrode
and the surface of the base metal in the joint being
welded

SMAW
Medium arc length Long arc length
Electrode Covering
The electrode covering has numerous functions but
depends on the type
Provides a gas cover to shield the arc and prevent excessive
atmospheric contamination of the molten filler metal
Provides scavengers, deoxidizers, and fluxing agents to cleanse
the weld and (potentially) prevent excessive grain growth in the
weld metal
Establishes the electrical characteristics of the arc
Provides a slag blanket to protect the hot weld metal from the air
and enhance the mechanical properties, bead shape, and
surface cleanliness of the weld metal
Provides a means of adding alloying elements to weld metal to
alter the microstructure and mechanical properties of the weld
metal
SMAW Advantages
Most widely used process worldwide broad skill-
base
Equipment and
consumable costs are
low low-tech
Extremely versatile
Easily implemented for
field welding
Relatively adaptable to
part fit-up variances
Operator skill is required
Underwater welding with SMAW
SMAW Disadvantages
Requires relatively high-
skilled manual welder
Deposition rate is low
Defect rates are relatively
high
Fume generation rates
are high
Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW)
An arc is formed between a
nonconsumable (tungsten)
electrode and the workpiece
electrode
The energy from the arc
melts the workpiece, and
the molten metal solidifies
to form a weld bead
Shielding gas provides the
medium for arc formation
and protects the molten
pool and electrode from
oxidation
Source: AWS Handbook 9
th
ed. Vol. 1
GTAW Process Terminology
Gas Tungsten Arc Welding: GTAW - AWS Definition
Tungsten Inert Gas Welding: TIG - Europe and
worldwide, also often used in the U.S.
Wolfram Inert Gas Welding: WIG - Used in Germany
Heliarc: Original name in U.S.
Argonarc: Original name in U.K.
GTAW Pros & Cons
Advantages
Can be used in all
positions
Provides excellent control
on thin and intricate parts
No slag or spatter; post
weld cleaning often not
required
Use with or without filler
wire
Welds almost all metals
Precise control of weld
heat
High quality

Disadvantages
Lower deposition rates
than consumable
electrode processes
Higher skill level than
consumable electrode
processes
Requires high gas purity,
low tolerance for drafty
environments
Low tolerance to
contaminants
Generally requires arc
starting system
Requires precise
positioning of electrode

Gas Metal Arc Welding
Source: AWS Handbook 9
th
ed. Vol. 1
Flux Cored Arc Welding
Courtesy of the AWS Welding Handbook, Volume 2, 8
th
Edition
Gas-Shielded FCAW
Self-Shielded FCAW
GMAW/FCAW Equipment
ELECTRODE FEED UNIT
ELECTRODE SUPPLY
SHIELDING GAS
REGULATOR
SHIELDING GAS
SUPPLY
POWER
SOURCE
WATER
CIRCULATOR
WORKPIECE
WELDING GUN
WORK LEAD
WATER TO GUN
WATER FROM GUN
GUN SWITCH CIRCUIT
SHIELDING GAS TO GUN
CABLE ASSEMBLY
SHIELDING GAS FROM CYLINDER
WELDING CONTACTOR CONTROL
POWER CABLE
PRIMARY INPUT POWER
1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
10
8
9
5
4
3
2
6
7
Courtesy of the AWS Welding Handbook, Volume 2, 8
th
Edition
Types of Continuous Wire
Electrodes
Modes of Metal Transfer
Spray
Globular
Short-circuiting
Pulse-spray
GMAW Transfer Modes
Short Circuit Mode Spray Mode Pulse Transfer
GMAW Pros & Cons
Advantages
Welds all commercial metals
All positions
High deposition rates compared to GTAW and SMAW
Continuously fed filler wire
Long welds without stops and starts
Minimal post-weld and inter-pass cleaning
Disadvantages
Welding equipment is more complex than that for SMAW
More difficult to use in hard to reach places
Welding torch size
Welding torch must be kept in close proximity to the workpieces
in order to achieve adequate shielding
Arc must be protected against air drafts
FCAW Pros & Cons
Advantages
High deposition rates
Deeper penetration than SMAW
High quality welds
Less pre-cleaning than GMAW
Slag covering helps with out-of-position welds
Self-shielded FCAW is draft tolerant
Disadvantages
Slag must be removed
Higher fume generation than GMAW and SAW
Spatter
Equipment is more expensive and complex than SMAW
FCAW wire is more expensive
Submerged Arc Welding (SAW)
Definition
At least one consumable
bare metal electrode
Arc(s) produce heat
Shielded by granular,
fusible material on
workpieces
Uses similar welding
variables as GMAW for
procedure and operator
qualification

Source: AWS Handbook 9
th
ed. Vol. 1
SAW Pros & Cons
Advantages
Superior weld quality
Often self cleaning
High deposition rates
Minimum edge preparation
No radiant energy
Minimum fume problem
Disadvantages
Flux housekeeping
Usable only in flat position
Plasma Arc Welding (PAW)
Definition
Nonconsumable electrode
Heat is produced from a plasma jet
Arc can be transferred or nontransferred
Shielding is obtained from the ionized gas
Usually supplemented by an auxiliary source of shielding gas
Filler metal may of may not be used
Cold wire feed, hot wire feed, dabber technique
Variables
Plasma current
Orifice diameter and shape
Type of orifice gas
Flow rate of orifice gas
Type of shielding gas
Plasma Arc Torch
Source: AWS Handbook 9
th
ed. Vol. 1
PAW Pros & Cons
Advantages
Columnar plasma jet
Higher energy density enables faster welding speeds, lower heat
input, and less distortion
Improved arc stability and tolerance to variations in torch-to-work
distance
Permits the use of longer torch-to-work distances
Less welder skill is required (compared to GTAW)
Disadvantages
Higher equipment cost
Lower tolerance to variations in fit-up
Manual PAW torches are more difficult to manipulate than
manual GTAW torches
Tandem GMAW
A variation of standard GMAW with
the following features:
Two welding power sources
Two wire feeders
Two electrically isolated, independently
controlled welding arcs
One weld pool


Lead Trail
Flow by surface tension and arc force
Damming up force by trailing arc
Flow of turning around trailing arc
Top view
Lead Trail
Flow by surface tension and arc force
Damming up force by trailing arc
Flow of turning around trailing arc
Top view
Why Use Tandem GMAW?
Improve Productivity and
Quality
Increased deposition rates
Faster travel speeds
Maintain or improve overall
weld quality, gap filling
capability

Applications
Long straight weld joints
Orbital applications
Mechanized processes
Automated processes

Deposition rate (lbs/hr)
Image courtesy of Lincoln Electric
Narrow Groove Tandem GMAW
Conventional approaches to joining
thick sections include
High deposition-rate processes
with conventional joint designs
GMAW, SAW
V-groove, double V-groove
Low deposition-rate processes
with narrow-groove designs
Cold-wire GTAW
Hot-wire GTAW
Parallel or near-parallel sidewalls
Narrow-groove tandem GMAW
High deposition-rate process
in a narrow groove
Reduced joint volume
Excellent sidewall fusion
Reduced distortion

Benefit: Reduced Joint-Volume
For a 5-in.-thick joint
> 75% reduction in joint volume compared to a single-V groove
> 55% reduction in joint volume compared to a double-V
groove
Bead placement
Single bead per layer
Minimal torch positioning required


Narrow Groove
Traditional 45-Degree
Double V-Groove
5 in. 5 in. 5 in. 5 in.
Root Opening: 0.125 in.
Cross-sectional area: 5.8 in.
2
Root Opening: 0.125 in.
Cross-sectional area: 5.8 in.
2
Root Opening: 0.5 in.
Cross-sectional area: 2.5 in.
2
Root Opening: 0.5 in.
Cross-sectional area: 2.5 in.
2
Strip Cladding Process
Description
Welding takes place under a
granular flux which melts and
forms a slag to protect the
molten weld pool
Strip electrodes are 0.5mm thick
range in width from 30 to
120mm
Deposits wide, flat weld beads
with minimal dilution of the base
material.
Two process variations based
on conductivity of the slag
Submerged arc strip cladding &
electroslag strip cladding

Submerged Arc Strip Cladding
Travel Speed: 11-21 cm/min ( 4.3 to 8.3 in/min)
Deposition Rates
60mm strip: 9 to19.5 kg/hour (19.8 to 42.9 lbs/hour)
90mm strip: 28 to 33 kg/hour (61.6 to 72.6 lbs/hour)
120mm strip: 30 to 35 kg/hour (66 to 77 lbs/hour)
Dilution: 18- to 25%
Main disadvantage is the heat input
Heat input: 250- to 280-kJ/in)
Reciprocating Wire Feed GMAW
Capable of
Extremely Low
Currents and
Voltages
Current
Voltage
Wire Feed
Speed
NO Short
Circuiting
RWF-GMAW Equipment
Fronius CMT
Jetline CSC
SKS Systems
Panasonic AWF
Alloy 718 Edge Buildups
CRP program
Alloy 718 edge, 0.040-in wide
Alloy 625 wire
Heat input of 383-J/in
Significant commercial aerospace work done
since
CMT Applications
Ti 6-4
Ti 6-4
304
Silver
Braze
Wire
Stainless
C-Steel
W = 0.93-mm H = 4.5-mm
1.5mm
1.0mm
Aluminum
CMT + Pulse Welding
Hybrid Laser-GMAW
Arc and laser coupled as
one process
High travel speed with increased
penetration
Flexibility of fiber delivery
Tolerance to gap and alignment
Potential to use laser to stabilize
conventional processes
Applications
Welding of Al structures
Fabricated Ti structures
High strength steels
Hybrid Laser GMAW
(Note keyhole from laser in puddle)
Video of Laser/GMAW Hybrid Welding
Example Applications
GTAW of super-conductor
Mechanization vs. manual / semi-auto
Arc-based titanium additive manufacturing
Onsite engineering assistance
Opacity reduction
T-GMAW development at EWI
GTAW of Super-Conductor

Composite super-conductor bands
Pure silver & proprietary powder
Problem
End was manually welded to the fitting and copper draw bar
attached
Part is drawn into a ribbon. During drawing the weld broke
Found to be due to lack of penetration / incomplete fusion
GTAW of Super-Conductor
EWIs involvement
Diagnosed failure as lack of penetration / fusion
Pure silver melts at a point rather than a range
Redesigned joint to allow built-in backing
Developed mechanized welding procedures
Full penetration joint, 350-A, 70-sec start delay
Specified welding system, onsite support for implementation in
production


Mechanization Example
Double bevel complete joint penetration weld
Vertical position, upward progression
Objective is to increase productivity by
implementing simple mechanization over baseline
semi-automatic GMAW

Semi Automatic Welding
with
Manual Gouging
Mechanized Welding
with
Mechanized Gouging
145 ipm Wire Feed Speed
3.7 lbs/hr Deposition rate
Within Current Qualified Procedure
25 Passes
535 Total Minutes
Arc Time = 340 min
Cleaning Time = 72 min
Gouging Time = 27 min
Post Gouge Cleanup = 96 min
184 ipm Wire Feed Speed
4.7 lbs/hr Deposition Rate
Within Current Qualified Procedure
12 Passes
199 Total Minutes
Arc Time = 121 min
Cleaning Time = 15 min
Gouging Time = 3.25 min
Post Gouge Cleanup = 9 min
27.4 lbs Weld Metal 1,043 mm
2
521 mm
2
13.7 lbs Weld Metal
Mechanization Example
Arc-Based Additive Manf.
Titanium components are often produced via
machining
Start with a solid block then machine part out
Material availability
Lead time increases non-linearly with material size (long lead times)
Potential for industry shortage on titanium
Objectives of program
Characterize five arc welding processes with regards to titanium
additive manufacturing
Build two vehicle parts via additive manufacturing using the
selected process
Processes
PAW (Powder), GMAW-P, GTAW-HW, RWF-GMAW, PAW
(Wire)
Arc-Based Additive Manf.
Demonstrated arc-based processes for titanium
additive manufacturing
PAW (Powder)
GMAW-P
GTAW (Hot Wire)
RWF-GMAW
PAW (Wire)

PAW (Powder)
GMAW-P
GTAW (Hot Wire)
RWF-GMAW PAW (Wire)
Onsite Engineering Examples
Aluminum ammunitions container
GTAW, GMAW-P
Problems: visual inspection & leak testing
Recommendations
Welder training, start / stop procedure development, etc
Stainless steel, high strength, disk (9-ft diameter)
GMAW-P welding of inserts
Problem: post weld cracking
Recommendation: weld in over-aged condition, PWHT
Aluminum skid
Welder training, welding procedure and performance qualification,
fabrication procedures recommendations
High carbon steel suspension component
GMAW
Problem: cracking, code interpretation & conformance
Worked with welding & testing personnel to meet code
requirements
Etc.
Opacity Reduction
Naval vessels are dismantling at PSNSY using
oxyfuel gas cutting (OFC)
Process is cost effective and efficient
Produces large amounts of visible emissions which has led to
compliance issues with air pollution requirements
Objectives
Determine the combination of fuel gas, flow rates, torch type, etc
that result in the lowest opacity for the OFC process
Evaluate other hot working methods (plasma arc cutting, laser
cutting, etc) as an alternative to OFC

Opacity Reduction
Industry survey of cutting technology
DOE approach
Significantly increased the number of variables
evaluated
OFC variables screened
Fuel gases (5)
Surface conditions (3)
Plate thickness (2)
Tip types (3)
Torch types (4)
Fuel gas flow rate (2)
Oxygen flow rate (2)
DOE for PAC and laser cutting
Opacity Reduction

Opacity Reduction Results
Opacity strongly correlates with the
amount of organic material burned
Laser produces least opacity followed
by OFC and PAC
OFC best practices recommended for
two fuel gases





Also provided best parameters for PAC
Torch Harris 62-5E Low Flow
Tip Size 6 (general purpose)
Fuel Gas Propane MagneGas
Fuel Pressure (psi) 2 3
Oxygen Pressure (psi) 55 55
T-GMAW Development at EWI
High-speed fillet welds
3/16-in. fillet welds at 80 ipm
0.25-in.-thick plate
Deposition rate: 22 lb/hr



High-speed welding of sheet metal
Solid steel wire
1.0- to 1.4-mm-thick high-strength steel
Full-penetration square-groove welds
Travel speeds: 138 to 177 ipm
Silicon-bronze wire (T-GMA braze welding)
0.7- to 0.75-mm-thick galvanealed steel
Travel speed: 138 ipm
Minimal backside coating degradation


T-GMAW Development & EWI
Flat (1G) position
Deposition rates up to 38-lbs/hr
Travel speeds of 25- to 50-ipm
Out-of-position, thick section
Horizontal
Deposition rate: 25-lbs/hr (+194%)
Travel speed: 32-ipm (+185%)
Heat input: 28-kJ/in (-33%)
Overhead
Deposition rate: 15-lbs/hr (+233%)
Travel speed: 35-ipm (+536%)
Heat input: 10-kJ/in (-76%)


Questions?